The apparatus consists of three vertically mounted pipes of identical size, a heat pipe, a copper pipe, and a stainless steel pipe. The performance of the heat pipe is assessed by comparing it with the thermal behavior of the copper and stainless steel pipes. A band heater is installed at the bottom of each pipe to provide uniform heating, while a water filled heat sink is positioned at the top to facilitate cooling. The longitudinal temperature distribution along the pipes effectively illustrates the nearly isothermal operation of the heat pipe, highlighting its superior thermal performance.

Experimental Objective

To study the heating performance of a heat pipe and compare it with the best conductor.

The apparatus includes three test specimens: stainless steel pipe, copper pipe, and heat pipe, each connected to a water cup at the top and equipped with heaters at the bottom.
 

·        Heat pipe made of stainless steel, 25 mm O.D., 450 mm length, sealed, evacuated, and partially filled with distilled water (1 no.).

·        Copper and stainless-steel pipes of the same size as the heat pipe (1 each).

·        Equal-capacity heaters installed at the bottom of each pipe.

·        Water-filled heat sinks positioned at the top end of each pipe.

·        Dimmer stat (4 A capacity) for precise heat input control to all heaters (1 no.).

·        Voltmeter and ammeter for measuring heater input (1 each).

·        Multichannel digital temperature indicator to monitor temperatures along pipe lengths.

·        Four thermocouples installed on each pipe.

·        Three thermometers to measure water temperatures in the heat sinks.

Utilities required other than above supply

Single phase 230 V AC electric supply.

Required floor area 1.5 meters x 0.5 meters x 0.5 meters height.